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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23943052">Albus Dumbledor: A character study</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonTaco/pseuds/LemonTaco'>LemonTaco</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>? - Freeform, Albus Dumbledore Being an Idiot, Dark Albus Dumbledore, He made voldemort, Manipulative Albus Dumbledore, Misguided Albus Dumbledore, Propaganda</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:21:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,044</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23943052</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LemonTaco/pseuds/LemonTaco</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore meant well.  He always meant well. That was the problem.</p><p>From setting an abused orphans only worldly possesions on fire to prove a point to helping Gwindelwald rise to power- he meant well.</p><p>At the end of the day his actions still had consequences.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Grindelwald</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Albus loved his family. Albus didn't like muggles all that much- nasty, filthy beasts who hurt his baby sister-but they were useful. They grew the food he ate. They produced the occasional muggle-born witch or wizard.</p>
<p>They just needed to be put in their place- muzzled- like the beasts they are. For their own safety and that of the wizarding world. For people like Arriana.</p>
<p>That's why he and Gellert had to take control. Seizing power was for the greater good- it would help <em>so</em> many people. <em><strong>Save countless lives</strong></em>. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>All they needed was control- to make people listen to them.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Albus looked at his friend and lover and nodded. Gellert was right.<br/>
<br/>
For the greater good.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>(It would be years later, as he watched Aberforth cradle Arriana's lifeless body and scream and rage and cry- Gellert having booked it- that Albus realized that <em>maybe </em>he had been going about things the wrong way.)</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Tom M. Riddle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Or where Albus sets an orphans only worldly belongings on fire, doubles down, and ends up creating yet another dark lord despite his best efforts to do the best opposite.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Albus had sworn to himself that he would never let someone else go down the dark path he and Gellert had. He would not let anyone else hurt people for the greater good the way they had.</p><p>When Albus looked at young Tom Riddle he saw what could have been. He saw a powerful young wizard (just like Gellert and he had been) who was hurting and angry at the world. </p><p>Albus- in what was (in hindsight) a monumentally stupid decision that would force the young wizard down a dark a dangerous path- set his things on fire. What Albus forgot, in his panic and fear and pain, was that young Tom Riddle already knew how much it hurt to be hurt by others.</p><p><br/>
It was only several years- and the death of one Myrtle E. Warren- later that Albus realized he had taught the boy the exact opposite of the lesson he intended by setting his worldy possessions ablaze. </p><p>It was a few years later still that Albus- fearing that the boy had become a dark wizard who wanted to prey on the student body- would deny him the position of DADA professor.</p><p>In the coming months and years, Albus would deeply come to regret his choices up to this point.</p><p><br/>
As Voldemort rose to power and rained down terror upon the magical and muggle worlds Albus swore on his baby sister's grave- and on the life of Gellert and Aberforth- that he would do better.</p><p>He would not make the same mistakes again.</p><p><br/>
(It was ironic, then, that he had already broken the first one to himself).</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Marauders</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Or where Albus Dumbledore- once again- does more harm than good.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When the Marauders first start bullying Severus Snape Albus doesn't think much of it. It's a little harmless fun- no one's getting physically hurt, after all- and Severus and James both seem to fancy Lily Evans a great deal.</p><p><em>Surely it will sort itself out.</em> He thinks. <em>The last time I got involved in a student's behavior to any extent it was Tom- and look how that turned out. </em>(Which is also the reason he refuses to touch Severus and Sirius's respective home lives with a ten-foot pole. He screwed the pooch with Tom. Best not to get involved.)</p><p>By the time it escalates to Sirius trying to murder Severus and he's forced to take notice Albus is mostly just running damage control. He can't punish Sirius without a reason- and saying "deliberately setting a werewolf on another student" will get Remus killed.</p><p>So Albus takes Severus aside and- with a heavy heart- tells him that nothing will be done to punish his would-be murderer and that <em><strong>he's not to tell anyone about what happened.</strong></em></p><p>He's not surprised, when years later, Severus comes to him with the dark mark branded into his skin and begs him to save Lily Evans.</p><p>When he's told that Sirius Black betrayed the potters he believes them. He has no reason not to- he tried to kill another child and would have killed a second by proxy when he was a student and was never disciplined for it.</p><p><br/>
Of course, he believes them.</p><p> </p><p>He has no reason to believe otherwise.</p><p> </p><p>(When he's finally presented with evidence to the contrary years later, well, some dark bitter thing inside of him can't help but think Sirius deserved to spend those years in Azkaban. He would have killed Severus and Remus both if James hadn't stepped in when they were students and was never punished because punishing him would have killed Remus.)</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Boy Who Lived</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Albus made a lot of sacrifices that weren't his to make and- despite how much harm he's done over the years- he was once a budding dark lord. He knows the value of propaganda.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His heart stops as soon as he hears the news.</p><p>
  <em>The Potters are dead. Voldemort hasn't been seen since. <strong>The boy lives.</strong></em>
</p><p>He sends Hagrid to retrieve the boy and gets to work. Albus knows every single Gossip that's graced the halls of Hogwarts since he was a boy.</p><p>It's easy- then- to make a few house calls.</p><p>"The Potters are dead. The boy- little baby Harry- still lives."</p><p>"The boy who lived vanquished Voldemort."</p><p>And on and on it went for hours- a few words here and their to spread the word.</p><p>
  <strong>Voldemort is gone after trying- and failing- to kill an infant.</strong>
</p><p>If that doesn't demoralize Tom's death eaters he doesn't know what will.</p><p>By the time it's time to deliver little baby Harry to his mother's sister he's done all he can to ensure peace.</p><p>When Minerva tells him what she's seen he dismisses her. Better abused than dead. Anywhere else will see the baby dead in short order.</p><p> </p><p>Over the months and years to come, he dedicates his time to the boy's safety.He encourages books that glorify the boy, makes him out to be a golden hero who's all-powerful, and a wide array of products to be made- if death eaters think he's well trained and stronger than them they'll be less likely to attack him.</p><p> </p><p>By the time the Boy enters Hogwarts he's well known- and despite no one actually knowing him- very well liked.</p><p>By now Dumbledor has realized that Tom had made Horicrux's and that Harry is one. He knows he won't be able to save the boy- but he'll do what he can to give him a childhood anyway.</p><p>It won't be much of one but it's the best he can do.</p><p>It's the least he can do- given that it's his mistakes the child is paying for.</p><p> </p>
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